Endorsements rated longevity over service

I respectfully disagree with the Daily Herald’s endorsements for Naperville City Council, especially the reasoning to select Derek McDaniel over the other non-incumbents.

You first mention the fact that he has been a resident of Naperville for 40 years. That factor does not make someone uniquely qualified to be a city council member. Experience matters. Mary Gibson has been a leader in our community as president of the Naperville Park District Board. She has also served Naperville in her role as a Naperville Riverwalk Commissioner, Community Emergency Response Team Member (CERT), Naperville Citizen Police Academy Graduate and a Naperville Citizen Fire Academy Graduate and facilitated the Open Books Discussion Project at Anderson’s Bookshop.

Ashfaq Syed has also been involved in the community. He serves as president of the Naperville Public Library Board, is a member of the Board of Directors with Loaves & Fishes Community Services and Naperville Neighbors United. Ashfaq also serves as a Committee Member of 360 Youth Services.

The important distinction here is — it’s not the length of time you have lived in your community, but rather, it’s the time you have served in the community you live.

You also suggest that Mr. McDaniel’s career in finance will help analyze budgets. Yet Mary Gibson has demonstrated the ability to effectively manage taxpayers’ money as president of Naperville Park District Board, which has an annual budget of $53 million.

It’s not good enough to base your endorsement on length of time lived in a city. Mary Gibson brings solid experience serving and leading the community of Naperville.

Luckily, the Daily Herald doesn’t decide who represents us, we do. I encourage all my neighbors, friends and family in Naperville to vote for Mary Gibson, Ian Holzhauer, Benny White and Ashfaq Syed For Naperville City Council.

Kate Refine

Naperville